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Adam
@Sunshine

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The sea is calling, but Adam isn't tracking right now. Come back later!

Kaikoa

Petoskey MI

Retired Coast Guard Cutterman. Now exploring the world aboard Kaikoa, with my beautiful wife and 2 kids.

Brandy L
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Jun 24, 2025

Distance

29.2nm

Avg. speed

7kts

Duration

4h 9m

Bequa - - > Mayreau ("Don't be a dick").

We departed from Bequia today—what a lovely stop. It’s a charming island with fantastic people, great food, and sweet little beaches. Cruisers love it for good reason: easy garbage drop-off, simple provisioning, and boats that cruise the anchorage offering fuel, water, laundry services, and more. We met a few folks who’ve been hunkered down there for weeks, using it as their hurricane hole unless something gets too close. But we’ve got a timeline to keep (a whole post in itself). So, it was time to move on. We’d heard glowing reports about the Tobago Cays, so we set our sights there. We left just after 11, waiting for the winds to settle a bit after a big rain squall passed. Two reefs in the main, two in the genoa, and off we went—cranking along in 17–20 knots, gusting to 22. The sea state was a little confused, wrapping around the islands and making for a bumpy but manageable ride. Harbor was a champ and held his bucket (no pukes), Aria watched anime and forgot she was on a boat, Adam was getting an ab workout from sitting at the help and I was holding on for dear life like a maniac 🤣. Midway through, we hit some steep swells that gave me a few heart palpitations. Oh—and speaking of heart palpitations, let’s talk about the charter boats. Two Dream Yacht charters decided that rules of the road didn’t apply. The first one cut across our bow and then decided it was the perfect time to stall out and unfurl their headsail—sure, why not? But the second one really took the cake: they clearly saw us, full under sail (read: we had right of way), and instead of taking our stern, they attempted to squeeze in ahead. We tried to hail them on the radio—crickets. No AIS. Nothing. They did get close enough for me to shoot them a few award-winning ugly faces and my best ARE YOU BLIND? expression. Adam followed up with a radio hail: “Dream Yacht Charter, way to be a dick!” 😅 They heard. Oh, they definitely heard 🤣 (for those from Floatchella, you may have heard these words outta the skippers mouth before...not a coast guard phrase at all). As we pulled into the Tobago Cays, the wind and swell made the anchorage a bit rolly—and just to round out the excitement, our starboard engine lost oil pressure and shut down. Last week it was the port engine, thanks to a clogged fuel line. Adam suspects the same culprit here—likely stirred-up sediment from running low on fuel (in prep to haul out). So MacGyver is at it again. Honestly, I’m beyond thankful he’s so handy. He’s always repairing, maintaining, prepping, etc. Last summer, he and his buddies put in serious hours restoring these 20-year-old Volvos—and those hours are paying off. Tonight, we’re tucked into a little anchorage off Mayreau. Four charters (Mr D himself) and a big old ship are sharing the bay with us. We’re just here for the night before continuing south. The sailing season is winding down, and I’ve got so many emotions swirling—but I’m not quite ready to unpack those yet. We still need to make it to Grenada and haul out at Spice Island Marine. As much as sailing stresses me the F out, I’m also incredibly grateful we’re doing this. We would never have experienced these incredible places any other way. Cheers 🍻

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Brandy L
Twilight Villa, Grenadines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Jun 21, 2025

Distance

104.9nm

Avg. speed

7kts

Duration

15h 4m

Celebrating the bday kid in Bequia 🤘

You know, I keep saying this — but the Thorny Path is thorny! JEEZ. We thought we were done with the rough part of the journey. Nope! Just for shits and giggles, let’s throw in 7 to 10 foot waves on the beam, swirly winds, and washing-machine seas. It wasn’t scary (which is always a plus), but we all felt like trash. Probably didn’t help that I made pork medallions in a mushroom cream sauce for dinner last night. 😂. Note to self, stick with chicken and rice. We had a double reef in the main and one in the Genoa right from the start — sailing between the islands has been insane, with winds jumping from 5 to 30 knots and ripping. But we got lazy and never shook out that second reef. We probably could have taken an hour or two off the ride. Near St. Vincent, we were crawling along at 4 knots in the wind shadow, then suddenly catching wind for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Repeat for 12 miles. Then we went to fire up the port engine. It cranked for 30 minutes while we motor-sailed — and then it died. Fun times. Like a professional, Adam handled it just fine. He sailed us into Elizabeth Harbor, we dropped anchor in some beautiful water, and tomorrow we’ll go ashore to celebrate the Harbor Man turning 8 years old. If you’ve got any pirate-themed words of wisdom for the young buck, send them our way. 🤙

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Brandy L
Little Bay, Saint Peter Parish, Montserrat • Jun 6, 2025

Distance

48.4nm

Avg. speed

6.3kts

Duration

7h 41m

Kitts to Montserrat
Brandy L
Central, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands • May 22, 2025

Distance

5.4nm

Avg. speed

5.3kts

Duration

1h 1m

Waterlemon to Cruz for MAIL CALL

We waited weeks for a package to arrive from the States—what we thought would be a small delivery turned out to be pretty big...and mostly just packing material. Priority shipping from Florida to St. Thomas wasn’t exactly speedy. So Adam and our buddy headed off to Cruz Bay via ferry to hit up the post office, FedEx and the marine supply store. Adam made it to the USPS office after a long hot walk and was told the package wasn’t there. So he trekked back to his meeting spot, as there and was waiting to sync up with Rob, he received a notification that the package had finally arrived. So Adam turned around and headed back. At first, the woman told him he might have to come back tomorrow, but with a little kind persistence from Adam, she agreed to check. While Adam & Rob were off on the great package hunt, Aria, Harbor, and I wandered Cruz Bay with some of the other crew in SeaBella. We browsed shops, grabbed lunch at High Tides, and restocked at the grocery store. Def not my fav anchorage - St John, Cruz Bay moorings are super rolly from all the ferry traffic but we got ish crossed off the list and we're on the move again! BVIs here we come! side note - @seapeople Still trying to figure out why the tracking feature isn’t working properly on my end—but I do love seeing our route, distance, average speed, and all the nerdy little details. The last two trips that I have started live tracking. the time is recorded and nothing else. No recorded speed, track line, etc.

Brandy L
Central, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands • May 20, 2025

Distance

3nm

Avg. speed

6.2kts

Duration

29m

Peter's Bay to Waterlemon
Brandy L
East End, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands • May 18, 2025

Distance

11.2nm

Avg. speed

5.2kts

Duration

2h 10m

Brewers to Christmas Cove.

Something funny happened a couple days ago on the beach. This weathered beach guy—definitely the “local legend” type—was wading through the water, telling us how he landed here from California ages ago and just...never left. We’re still not sure if he lives on the beach or on a boat, but he and Adam had this mellow exchange, full of California love. At one point, he casually mentioned, “Every two weeks, the dolphins come into the bay.” Then he chuckled and added, “They’ll be here tomorrow.” We all kind of laughed it off—like, sure they will. But guess what? The vagabond dude was right. The past few days in Brewers Bay have been nothing short of magical. With our buddy boat SeaBella we had the most unforgettable experience: swimming with two dolphins right off the bow of our catamaran. Not just spotting them—we touched them. One kept circling us, brushing up against us, inviting us to play. It nudged Adam the same way our dog Kai used to when he wanted belly rubs. It was surreal. We hadn’t planned on anything like this—it just happened, naturally! Just the day before, we were swimming with turtles and lounging on the beach. It honestly feels like a dream. We’re so deeply grateful for this wild, beautiful life we’re living. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this is what our boat life would look like. Sure, we planned to move aboard and visit faraway places—but we couldn’t have grasped the magic of this life. A couple nights ago, a hammerhead was chasing fish just off the bow of another boat we know in the anchorage. Now we’re seeing turtles regularly, and the dolphins are back again. We even grabbed some GoPro footage—though it needs serious trimming before we can post it (every clip is like 10 minutes long!). Headed for Christmas Cove—everyone says it’s amazing, though it can get a bit crowded. Hoping for some sunshine, clear water, and maybe even a slice from Pizza Pi Vi! Let’s go!

Brandy L
St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands • May 9, 2025

Distance

35.2nm

Avg. speed

5.8kts

Duration

6h 6m

Bye Puerto Rico and Hello St. Thomas
Brandy L
Puerto Ferro, Vieques, Puerto Rico • May 7, 2025

Distance

53.4nm

Avg. speed

5.2kts

Duration

10h 17m

Salinas, PR to Vieques - Bio Bay
Brandy L
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico • Apr 29, 2025

Distance

158.1nm

Avg. speed

5.6kts

Duration

1d 4h

Mona Passage - lumpy but we made it 🙌

We officially made it across the Mona Passage! We left the Dominican Republic around 7:30 AM, fully aware it was going to be a motor-fest—and that’s exactly what we needed and wanted. The Mona Passage, part of the infamous Thorny Passage, has a reputation for being a thorn in your...well, you know. True to form, it didn’t disappoint. Imagine a roller coaster: you're stoked, adrenaline pumping, you're all prepped for the climb. But most coasters happen during daylight—you can see what’s coming. Now, picture doing that in the dead of night, when Windy promised calm conditions but SPOILER ALERT—the forecast was wildly wrong. That roller coaster suddenly feels a lot scarier when you can't see the drops coming! 😳 Sailing at night isn't my jam (yet), but we're working on it. The Good Stuff: - No massive squalls, lightning, or a soaked cockpit 🙌 - Picked up a sweet 1-2 knot current boost after our waypoint turn - Easy entrance into Puerto Real—light winds kissed us onto the fuel dock - Buddy-boating! Fun chats over WhatsApp helped pass the hours - Kids rallied after some seasickness - Woke up to a beautiful view of Puerto Rico and nearby islands - Full appetites returned once the seas calmed (kids were starving) - New audiobook helped speed up my watch despite feeling gross (The Road of Bones by Islay Jacobs) - Adam caught a double rainbow sighting 🌈🌈 - Dodged every squall (lucky) - No snagged fishing lines or nets The Not-So-Great Parts: - Nighttime roller coaster vibes + washing machine slosh = less than ideal - Hull slapping loudly—more annoying than dangerous but still jarring - Serious sleep deprivation for Adam and me - Brutal 2-point current against us at times; crawling at 3.5 knots on one engine - Windy’s wind forecast = lies. (GFS and Euro models—also lies.) - Adam’s unfortunate pizza and lime chip binge...regrets were made 😆 - Harbor was "over" the boat life! - Aria & I fought seasickness with music, peppermint oil, ReliefBand and meclazine Leaving the Dominican Republic was way harder than I expected. I completely fell in love with the country and felt like we barely scratched the surface. Highlights included: Puerto Bahia Marina and Resort (WOW), Ríncon, Límon Waterfall, Las Terrenas, and a quick trip to Los Haitises National Park (the caves and eco lodge blew us away). Our goal now: keep moving East with the weather toward Grenada (Insurance says we gotta be there by June 1st). Next stop—Boquerón for a night, then Salinas by Wednesday. We’ll rent a car, explore San Juan, and maybe sneak in a hike or waterfall if time allows. Then it's on to Vieques and Culebra.

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